Scott Hend made a birdie-birdie finish in a brilliant round of 67 to open up a two-shot clubhouse lead on day two of the BMW International Open.
Golf Club Gut Laerchenhof was once again proving a tough proposition, with high winds and unforgiving rough testing the field, but Hend's five under par effort moved him to six under for the week, one shot clear of Sébastien Gros.
The Frenchman had led overnight and carded a level-par 72 to stay right in contention, with Dane Søren Kjeldsen a further shot back after an excellent 69.
Swede Henric Sturehed, Chilean Nico Geyger and England's Aaron Rai were all three under in the early stages of their second rounds.
Belgian Thomas Pieters and Englishman Matt Wallace were then in the clubhouse at two under after rounds of 69.
Big-hitting Australian Hend is a two-time winner on the European Tour and arrived in Germany off the back of a tie for 14th at the Italian Open that was his best result of the season so far.
Gros slipped back into a share of the lead with a bogey on the 12th but quickly recovered with birdies on the 15th and 17th before back-to-back dropped shots on the 18th and first.
Scotland's Scott Jamieson briefly shared the lead at four under with a birdie on the 15th but bogeyed the 17th to turn in 36.
A birdie on the third edged Gros back into the solo lead but he was soon joined by Hend and Kjeldsen who made brilliant charges through the field.
Hend was level par for the day after a bogey on the tenth and birdie on the 12th but he eagled the par five 15th and then birdied the 17th to share the lead.
Kjeldsen was also level for the day after 11 holes with a bogey on the 14th and gain on the next but the 2015 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation champion is a supreme player in the wind and he proved it again, making four birdies in a row from the third - including a wonderful approach to the sixth.
Gros played a beautiful shot from the rough on the seventh to set up a birdie from 15 feet but he gave the shot straight back on the next, with Kjeldsen bogeying the seventh shortly after to drop out of the lead.
Jamieson had made seven straight pars but dropped shots on the seventh and eighth to fall back to one under, with Wallace heading in the opposite direction.
The Hero Indian Open champion birdied the 12th and 13th and while he gave a shot back on the 18th, he made a gain on the first and then holed a monster putt on the fifth to move to two under.
An eight-footer on the sixth had him within one of the lead and chasing down the lowest round of the week which had been posted by Justin Walters.
The South African moved to one under with a 67, making birdies on the third, eighth, 12th and 14th, with a single dropped shot on the ninth and an eagle on the 15th.
Wallace bogeyed the seventh to drop to two under and he was joined there by Pieters, who turned in 34 and after bogeying the third, took advantage of the seventh and then hit a stunning approach into the ninth from the thick rough.
Hend had made seven pars in a row but he saved his best for last, making gains on the eighth and ninth to catapult himself into a two-shot lead and match Walters' low round.
